The Pinochet Affair : State Terrorism and Global Justice

Rating:
Summary: Gripping Tale of Tyrant's Downfall and Human Rights Triumph
Review: On a scale from 1 to 5 Roger Burbach's, The Pinochet Affair rates a six. It is the dramatic story of the downfall of the detested former dictator of Chile, of the many unsung heroes who brought it about, and of the significance of the entire affair to the global human rights movement. Augusto Pinochet, who seized power in a bloody 1973 coup d'état, dissolved Congress, outlawed political parties and the largest labor union in the country, censored the press, banned the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" as Marxist propaganda, publicly burned books ("on a scale seldom seen since the heyday of Hitler," according to the New York Times), expelled students and professors from universities, designated military officers as university rectors and arrested, tortured and killed thousands who opposed his regime. Then in a remarkable series of twists and turns the ex tyrant went from feared strongman to decrepit prisoner. Nowhere has this tale been told so well as in Burbach's book with its rich anecdotal material, compelling characterizations, and meaningful historical insights. Indeed, his book should be put on the must read list of everyone interested in the human rights movement, globalization, Latin America, Chile, or the Pinochet Affair itself.